Fire fighting units have increasingly been called upon to aid in the containment and clean-up of hazardous material sites (also referred to herein as "HAZMAT" areas or sites). Typically, HAZMAT area formats include a "hot zone" around the spill which is marked or roped off to contain the area. The hot zone is restricted to the entry team only and is accessible by a single entrance way, so that remnants from the spill on the boots and other personal protective equipment of the fire fighters can be contained properly. The hot zone is surrounded by a marked off "warm zone" which is restricted to other fire fighting personnel and members of the support crew. Bystanders are required to stand in a "cold-zone" which is marked off a safe distance from the potentially toxic effects of the spill.
In an effort to prevent the contamination of areas outside the hot zone, clean-up stations have been provided near the hot zone entryway so that the personal protective equipment of the fire fighter can be washed thoroughly, before he or she is permitted access to the warm zone. These shower stations have typically been supplied with water by standard fire fighting industry 1.5 inch fire hoses, which are usually reinforced and contain porous fabric exteriors that readily absorb contaminants. Once contaminated, these hoses must either be professionally cleaned or destroyed, both at great expense to the often limitedly funded fire company or municipality.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more inexpensive water supply system for providing required cleaning water to shower stations contained within the hot zone of HAZMAT decontamination areas. There is also a need for a more disposable and versatile conduit for supplying water to fire fighting applications.